The present invention relates to providing web access to a plurality of users in a vehicle, for example in a passenger vehicle such as an aircraft or ship, and has particular but not exclusive application to providing access to the Internet.
Access to computer networks such as the Internet and in particular the worldwide web, can now readily be achieved by mobile users through the use of lap top computers and modems, and more recently, personal organisers provided with Internet access software, such as a web browser.
It would be desirable to provide Internet access to passengers on vehicles such as aircraft or ships. This could be done simply by connecting all the users on the vehicle via a local network to a router on board the vehicle, which would send data across a wireless link via a satellite. However, this is an inherently costly solution because the wireless capacity is limited and usually expensive.
Proxy servers have been developed for local area networks to provide a common gateway from the network to the Internet. Thus, Internet traffic to the local area network is routed through a common gateway which caches all the pages that have been accessed by the users on the network, in order to reduce the delay to the user. For example, a proxy server is marketed by Microsoft Corporation. The proxy server has the advantage of reducing the bandwidth required for Internet access.
It would be possible to use a proxy server on a vehicle such as an aircraft but nevertheless the bandwidth of the satellite link would provide severe restrictions on the access time when a user accesses a web page through the satellite link.
The present invention seeks to overcome these difficulties.
In accordance with the invention from a first aspect there is provided a method of providing web access to a plurality of users in a vehicle, wherein the vehicle is provided with a web server for communication with the users, and means for providing a wireless link from the server to the web for use whilst the vehicle is in motion, the method comprising downloading into the web server in the vehicle, whilst it is stationary, at least one pre-selected web page to be accessed by the users during a journey in the vehicle.
Thus, in accordance with the invention, the web server in the vehicle can be selectively loaded with a number of web pages that are commonly accessed by users during a particular journey whilst the vehicle is stationary and in proximity to a large bandwidth, low cost data source. The downloaded pages may be selected according to the destination of the journey. In this way, large numbers of pages can be loaded onto the vehicle and access can be provided to the passengers without the need to make use of the wireless link, thereby optimising access time for the users.
In the event that the user wishes to access a web page which has not been downloaded onto the server on the vehicle, access to the appropriate web site can be provided through the wireless link. However, the number of occasions for which the wireless link needs to be used, is reduced substantially in accordance with the invention.
The web server in the vehicle may be operative to store e-mail messages produced by users during the journey, and the method includes transmitting the stored messages from the vehicle whilst it is stationary, so as to reduce the load on the wireless link during the journey.
Use of the wireless link may be subject to a charge, whereas access of data from the web server on the vehicle, during the journey, may be free of charge or priced at a lower rate than the wireless link. The web server may be operative to accumulate billing information relative to usage of the web through the wireless link, and the billing information may be downloaded from the server on the vehicle, when the vehicle is stationary. Use of the wireless link may be charged to a credit card account or other means of billing.
The wireless link may comprise a satellite link, for example making use of a satellite telecommunications system. One example of such a system is the ICO(trademark) system, aspects of which are described in patent publications WO 95/28747, WO 96/03814 and GB 2 295 296A. Other examples include the Inmarsat(trademark) satellite system as described in xe2x80x9cSatellite Communications Principles and Applicationsxe2x80x9d by Calcutt and Tetley, published 1994 by Edward Arnold, the Iridium(trademark) satellite cellular system, described for example in EP-A-0365885, and the Odyssey(trademark) system described for example in EP-A-0510789, EP-A-0575678 and EP-A-0648027.
The invention also includes a passenger vehicle provided with access to a web, comprising a proxy server, a local network within the vehicle to provide access to the proxy server for passengers in the vehicle, a transceiver for providing a wireless link from the proxy server to the web for use whilst the vehicle is in motion, and an input connection to permit the downloading into the proxy server, of preselected pages for access by the users during a journey in the vehicle.
Furthermore, the invention includes a device for downloading data into the proxy server of the vehicle, comprising a store of web pages categorised according to the destination of the vehicle, an output for downloading the pages into the proxy server in the vehicle, and user operable selecting means for inputting the vehicle""s destination such that the pages categorised for the selected destination are downloaded into the proxy server.
From the foregoing, it can be seen that the invention may be broadly considered as a passenger vehicle provided with Internet access, comprising a proxy server, and a local network within the vehicle to provide access to the proxy server for passengers in the vehicle.